Dump-car-door-operating device.



C. H. CLARK.

DUMP CAR DOOR OPERATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FlLtD APR.14, 1916.

1,270,005. Patsmed June 18, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

VITN ESSES C. H. CLARK.

DUMP CAR DOOR OPERATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.!4.19I6.

Patented June 18, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- INVENTOR wrTNEs'sE;

c. H. CLARK, DUMP CAR DOOR-OPERATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14,,I 9lfi;

1,270,005. Pate nted June 18, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHE ET 3.

% WITNESSES g 347% L CHARLES H. CLARK, F GRAFTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

- DUMP-CAR-DOOROPERATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1918.

. pplication filed April 14, 1916. Serial No. 91,029.

To aJZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Grafton, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dump- Car-Door-Operati11g Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improve ments in hopper cars; and the objects and nature of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art in the light of the following explanation of the accompanying drawings illustrating what I now believe to be the preferred embodiment or mechanical expression of my invention from among other forms, arrangements and constructions within the spirit and scope thereof.

My present invention involves in whole or part a dump car hopper door provided with operating means, that is mechanism for opening and closing the door, and means independent of said mechanism for locking the door in closed position, and an object thereof is to provide simple and reliable locking means for such doors which is inde pendent of the door opening and closing mechanism. This as well as other objects I attain in the device described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application. In said drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a portion of a hopper bottom car partially in side elevation and partially in central vertical section; the portion in section being taken in the plane of line 1:1 of Fig. 2, the right hand door being closed and the left hand door partially open. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a central vertical longitudinal section taken in the same plane as the left hand portion of Fig. 1 but showing the door locked in closed position. Fig. i is a sectional view taken in the same plane as Fig. 3 but showing the door completely opened. Fig. is a detail horizontal section taken in the plane of line 5-5 of Fig. 2 withflthe door approximately in the position as shown at the left of Fig. 1.

For the purpose .of illustration, I have shown a car 1 of a well known hopper bot tom type employing a longitudinally extending hollow center sill 2 dividing the car into plane transversely two series of discharge hoppers arranged side by side. Each hopper includes a lower slope or floor plate 3 extending transversely of the car and inclined longitudinally thereof and an upper sharply inclined slope or floor plate 4 with the hopper dischargeof the door opening arranged to discharge longitudinally of the car and located between the lower edge of slope 3 and the lower edge of slope 4.

- The opening is controlled by a door 5 arranged below the hopper and mounted to swing on a bearing shaft 6 carried at the under side of the lower edge of slope plate so that the door swings longitudinally of the car and when in closed position is inclined from the vertical.

The two doors 5 for a pair of hopper discharge openings are arranged in the.same of the car and are rigidly connected together by a beam 7 secured at the outer sides of the doors and adjacent their lower edges and bridges the space between the doors. Beam 7 causes the two doors to swing and operate in unison and the central portion of the beam is located a distance below center sill 2.

The mechanism for swinging the doors to closed and open positions comprises a r0- tary shaft 8 arranged at their outer sides and having squared ends 9. Shaft 8 is mounted on bearing brackets 10 carried on the door and a center bearing bracket 11 carried by beam 7. Shaft 8 carries a crank arm 12, the free endof which connects with link 13 and the opposite end of link 13 connects with one end of a link 14 having its opposite end pivotally mounted on a pin 15 car ried in brackets 16 secured to the sill.

he arrangen'icnt of the crank arm 12 and links 13 and 14. is such that when the doors 5 are in closed position (Fig. 3) the crank 12 depends from shaft 8 with the short link 13 extending upwardly of said shaft.

The doors can be swung to completely opened position (after the lock has been re leased) by rotating shaf 3 in the proper direction to bring the links and crank 12 into longitudinal alinement (Fig. 4) so that the links and crank act as a toggleho'lding the doors in completely opened position. The doors can then be brought to closed position by rotating shaft 8 in the opposite therefrom in front' direction thereby breaking the toggle and in a measure winding it up on the shaft thus swinging the doors to closed position.

I provide means independent of the door opening and closing mechanism for locking the doors in closed lading sustaining position so the door opening and closing means is relieved of door and lading supporting strains and stresses and is merely called upon to swing the doors without being required to hold or maintain the same in closed position.

The door locking means is arranged in the vertical longitudinal plane of the center sill and comprises a yoke or pair of arms 17 projecting from the inner side of beam 7 and at their free ends carrying a cross bolt or pin 18 suitably confined for movement in slotted bearings 19 formed in said arms and a swinging lock member carried by a rock shaft 21 mounted in bearings formed in brackets 22 secured to the hopper side walls. .An angle bar 23 extends transversely across the car and joins the lower edges of slope. 3.

One end of the lock member, which at its center is mounted on rod or shaft 21 is biiurcated or forked to provide a caindilze arin' 20 which when door 5 is in open position rests on top of angle 23. The lock member is also provided with a nose or arm 2% and an end 25 in alinement with arm 20 and is arranged to cooperate with a lock cam fixed to rock shaft 27 mounted in hearings in brackets 22 and which extending transversely of the car has squared ends.

The lock member is so arranged with respect to lock pin 18 which floats within its bearing slots that when the doors are in open position the lock member will be in proximately the position illustrated by 1 and a and when the doors are closing the floating pin will engage the curved top face of arm 20 and by it will be raised in its bearing slots. The lock pin rides over the curved cam-like face oft' said arm to the rear and by engaging arm 2% rocks the lock member to the position shown in Fig. 3. This takes place when the door reaches closed position.

The floating lock pin which may be termed a keeper at this time drops to the bottom ofthe recess of socket Formed at the junction of arms 20 and with its center slightly behind the renter of shaft 21. in other words during the closing movement of the door the floating lock pin is carried from in front of shaft 21 to a position to the rear of said shaft.

When the lock pin reaches this position the latch can then be inched in door sustaining position by rotating shaft 27 in cir wise direction to swing cam 26 downw ly against depending arm of the latch a position between said arii and shaft E2? as wei ht of the door and ladin will contir navaoos shown by full lines in Fig. 3. With the parts in this position the door swinging mechanism performs no door holding or locking functions, the entire burden of hold ing thedoors closed against the pressure or the lading being carried by the locking mechanism and particularly arms 17, lock pin 18, the latch and its shaft and the lock cam 26,

The doors can be released for dumping by rotating shaft 27 in counter clockwise direction. This swings cam 26 and causes the toe 29 thereof to strike upwardly against the outer end of arm 25 of the latch thereby carrying floating pin 18 over shaft 21 and forwardly from looking position so that the weight or" the door and the pressure of the lading will swing the door to open position as shown in Fig. l, or possibly to completely open position as shown inFig. d. The opening movement of the door throws the latch down to lock pin receiving position shown by 1.

When the latch on its door releasing move-- ment under the kick or blow of cam. 26 has moved the floating pin or lock bolt, call d herein a keeper, forwardly of shaft 21 the opening movement of the door or if ilL'h sufficient the shaft 8 may be rotated for this purpose. lhe nose 29 of the cam follows arm 25 of the latch on its upward swing so that when the lock pin leaves the latch the arm '20 thereof lies below shaft 21 and in position to receive the keeper. "When keeper 18 engages the latch on closing movement of the door and swings the latch to locking po sition the tree arm 25 of the latch will swing down into engagement with the cam'26 and will swing the sameto the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3 or will swing the same completely around to latch locking position shown by full lines Fig. 3. if the door is not closed with sufficient force to carry the cam 26 completely around to lock ing position the same can be moved to locking position by rotating shaft 27;

it is evident that various changes, modifications and variations might be resorted. to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact disclosures hereof.

What I claim is:

l. A hopper bottom car having a swinging door provided with door swinging means, and mechanism independent of said means and including a floating lock pin for maintaining the door in closed position against the pressure of the lading, substantially as described. 7 i

2. A hopper oar having a bottom door adapted to swing open under the pressure of the lading, means for swinging said door to closed position, and a latch and floating keeper for holding said door in closed position against the pressure of the lading.

In a hopper ear having a bottom door adapted to swing open under lading pressure, a swinging locking latch carried by a portion of the car adjacent its door, a floating keeper carried by the door and arranged to engage said latch to automatically swing the same to locking position during closing movements of the door, and means for locking said latch in lading sustaining position.

4. In a car having a vertically swinging hopper door provided with a floating keeper for holding the door in closed position, a swinging latch mounted on a part of said car adjacent said door in the path of movement of said keeper and adapted to receive and be swung by said keeper during closing movements of, the door, movable means for locking said latch in lading sustaining position and for moving said latch from said position, and means independent of said keeper and latch for operating said doors.

5. In a car having a hopper door adapted to move to open position under the we1ght of the lading and provided with mechanism for closing the door, means for holding the door in closed position including in its make up a floating pin and a swinging latch for receiving said pin and adapted to be swung the'rebyto door locking position.

6. In a center sill hopper bottom car having twin hopper doors provided with a cross member connecting the same below said sill and means connected to said cross member for operating said doors, means including a floating pin for holding and locking said doors tightly closed independently of said door operating mechanism.

7. Locking mechanism for the doors of hopper bottom cars comprising a floating keeper, a swinging latch coiiperating therewith and means for locking said latch in locking position.

8. Locking mechanism for the doors of a hopper car comprising a pin mounted to float within supporting arms carried by the car door, a swinging latch carried by a part of the car adjacent said door formed and mounted so as to be swung by said pin dur ing opening and closing movements of said door, and movable means for locking said latch in locking position and for swinging said latch from looking position;

9. in a center sill car having vertically swinging twin hopper doors rigidly conneelied together by a cross member located below the sill, a keeper carried by said cross member, a pivoted latch carried by the car and having a bifurcated end adapted to receive said keeper and a portion having a projection for coiipcration with a pivoted locking member for maintaining the latch in locking position and arranged to trip or move the same from locking position; said keeper being adapted to swing said latch to locking position on closing movements of the door.

10. In a center sill car having twin hopper doors connected together below said sill by a rigid cross member, a door locking agent carried by said cross member and comprising slot-ted arms and a floating cross bolt, a pivoted latch carried by the carerranged in the path of movement of said floating bolt and provided with means for lifting said bolt on closing movements of the doors and to be swung by said bolt to looking position wherein the axis of said bolt lies behind 'the axis of the latch.

11. In a center sill car having twin hopper doors provided with a cross member located below said sill and connecting said doors together, a rotary shaft arranged across the rear side of said doors and provided with a crank arm below said sill, a

toggle link connection between said crankarm and said Slil for swinging said doors to closed position, and means independent of said shaft and links for holding the doors in closed position against lading pressure.

12. In combination with a car having a hopper door carrying a keeper for holding the door in closed position against lading pressure, a pivoted latch carried by a portion. of the car adjacent said door and having one end shouldered for engagement by said keeper on door closing movements and to be swung by said keeper intolocking position, and a rotary shaft provided with a latch locking and tripping cam.

13. A car having a hopper door, provided with a keeper shaft having limited independent vertical play, a latch mounted and swing-able on a transverse axis and recessed at one end to receive said shaft and to be swung thereby as the door is moved to closed position, said latch being arranged to swing .up behind said shaft and to lift the same over and approximately drop the same to door locking position behind said axis, and means for tripping the latch to release the keeper and door, substantially as described.

14. A car having a vertically swingable hopper door provided with a floating lock bolt, a latch for said. bolt, said latch being swingable on a transverse axis carried by a portion of the ear adjacent to said door and arranged to be engaged and swung by said bolt to locking position, and a rotary locking cam adapted to hold said latch in bolt locking position and also adapted to trip said latch to bolt releasing position.

15. A dump car having swinging alined twin dumping doors rigidly secured together by a cross member, a separable latch and floating bolt mechanism between said cross member and an opposite portion of the car fer holding said zisors in ciosei gcositisn and. ii shaft carried by anci movable J11 said 6100:. and having a door closing a 6 agening scmection with an azijscent fisi'tisn f Mae (22,1:

A Lie-0r i 01 dump cars p1 0 Tidfid with a rotary winding shaft and CGllllfiCiiiOl'l for swiiiging the door be close and to opened positions, anal a separable swinging latch and floating bolt mechanism fcr' holciing said, door in closed iading susining position independently of sail shaft iiot (i001? 7501* dump saws vided with a sepsrabie floating swinging latch mechanism for 11015 @001 in ciesed position against She p of the landing, am! a rotary ioci iug said latch having a projecting nose to forcibly strike and tri a said. reisase the floating bolt 4 In testimony whereof I aflix my signaimifi in pr'ssence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES CLARK,

Witnessas:

J. M. NESBIT, E. B. Momma. 

